After all, that's why we read historical fiction-to be transported to another time, and to be astonished at ancient people's lives and traditions, just as they would probably be astonished at ours.

You will never have to marry for money. You will never have to depend on anyne but yourself.

Things change, and not always for the better.

Even in the most wretched life, there’s hope.

...she refused to leave anything to someone else that she could do better herself.

You can't change the desert. You can only take the fastest course through it. Wishing it's an oasis won't make it so.

You want it to feel like a surprise. You want to keep him guessing whether he'll make you smile entirely so that when you do, he will feel like he's been given a gift.